Trial of Sebastian M. over A1 motorway crash – BMW travelling at 315 km/h
Closing arguments are taking place before the District Court in Piotrków Trybunalski in a case concerning a crash in which a three-member family died. Expert witnesses established that the defendant's vehicle was travelling at a speed of between 315 and 329 km/h.
Closing arguments in fatal A1 motorway crash case
Closing arguments began on Wednesday before the District Court in Piotrków Trybunalski in the trial of Sebastian M., who is accused of causing a crash on the A1 motorway. According to Dziennik Gazeta Prawna, the prosecution is requesting the maximum possible sentence for the defendant.
The tragedy occurred on 16 September 2023 in the evening near Piotrków Trybunalski. A BMW collided with a Kia on the carriageway heading towards Katowice. The driver of the Kia – a married couple with their five-year-old son – died at the scene when the vehicle hit the barrier and caught fire.
The court heard testimony from witnesses, police officers, firefighters and passengers from the defendant's BMW. Nearly 30 volumes of case files were gathered. At the final hearing, judge Renata Folkman closed the court proceedings.
A team of expert witnesses specialising in accident reconstruction presented a comprehensive supplementary opinion. They unequivocally established that the defendant's BMW was travelling at a speed of between 315 and 329 km/h, whereas the Kia – with cruise control enabled – was travelling at approximately 140 km/h.
The experts demonstrated that before the collision, the Kia driver did not change course and travelled continuously in the middle lane. This means that the BMW struck the Kia – not, as the defendant's defence maintained, that the car had suddenly cut in front of him.
The defendant, Sebastian M., did not admit guilt. He stated that he did not know exactly what happened that day and questioned the reliability of the prosecution and the expert opinions. He repeatedly challenged the speed and location of the incident as established by the experts.
Prosecutor Izabela Knapik from the District Prosecutor's Office in Katowice announced that she would request the maximum possible sentence. The defendant's lawyer, advocate Katarzyna Hebda, did not disclose what line of defence she would present in her closing argument.
The defendant was extradited to Poland in May 2025 from the United Arab Emirates, where he had fled after the crash. Since then he has been in custody. Sebastian M. faces up to eight years in prison for causing a fatal crash.
Source: Dziennik Gazeta Prawna